Longreach

Dear Family and Friends





While everyone in Victoria and NSW have been experiencing very cold, wet, windy and snowy weather we have been basking in sunny Longreach with daytime temperatures in the mid twenties. Unfortunately our night temperatures have been as low as two to four degrees so getting out of bed in the morning has been a bit hard. Thankfully the day warms up quite quickly so the cardigan is dispensed with by the time I sit outside to have my breakfast.





Longreach is recognised as the frontdoor to Queenslands outback. The Thompson River runs by on the outskirts of town. Longreach is smaller than I expected, probably no more than two or three thousand and has a small but adequate shopping area. Tourism is clearly its main attraction with The Stockman's Hall of Fame, Qantas Founder's Museum and The Powerhouse Museum all being within the town's precinct.





We have stayed at a very popular camping area on the Thompson River north of the town on the Winton Rd. There has been anything from 60 to 100 vans here on any of the seven nights we have stayed here. They come in every afternoon and just as many leave every morning, its quite amazing. Many we have spoken to are biding there time before going on the the camel races in Boulia which start next Friday.





One afternoon while we have been here a chap came along and said if we were interested there would be a bit of music happening further down the camping area and we were welcome to come. This chap and his wife were muso's and used to do a bit of work in the pubs and clubs while travelling. Now they just do it every so often when they feel like it. So we decided to go along with about 80 others. They played for a while and people either sang along with them or just listened. Then after a while a couple of bush poets got up and recited some bush poems. One did "Mulga Bills Bicycle"and the other one did a Banjo Patterson one. They were both extremely good. There was also a country and western singer from Tamworth and she did a number of songs and she was very good. A few jokes thrown in and it was a very pleasant evenings entertainment all for nothing.





We are packing up this afternoon ready to leave tomorrow morning after breakfast . We are planning a big day tomorrow, all of 27klms. We need to catch up on washing so we will stay at a little park at a small town called Ilfracombe, just east of Longreach.





Enjoy the Pictures





That's it for now.





Love to one and all





Ken and Lyn